


What Does a Monkey Know of the Taste of Ginger?

by Spillingvelvet



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-18
Updated: 2010-01-18
Packaged: 2017-10-06 11:06:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/53030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spillingvelvet/pseuds/Spillingvelvet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cam and Daniel are on a routine diplomatic mission.  Cam and Daniel are on a routine diplomatic mission.  Cam and Daniel are on a routine...</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Does a Monkey Know of the Taste of Ginger?

**Author's Note:**

> Impermanent character death. Written for the [](http://community.livejournal.com/cm_tropefic/profile)[**cm_tropefic**](http://community.livejournal.com/cm_tropefic/) Cam Ficathon, with the prompt of "Time Loop".
> 
> I have played very fast and loose with all sorts of cultural traditions. Nothing portrayed in this story should be taken as an accurate example of any native customs. Ever. Set after Ark of Truth.
> 
> Beta and cheer-leading by my amazing and patient BFF, [](http://kate.dreamwidth.org/profile)[**kate**](http://kate.dreamwidth.org/). ♥ Any mistakes that may remain are my own fault.

"Alright, Jackson, tell us about P4X-519," Cameron drawls, sliding mission briefs around the table.

"Otherwise known as Kailasa," Daniel begins, standing in front of the projector screen. The lights dim and Daniel clicks a button on the slide remote. A photo of a giant mountain with a wide, curving dome is projected on the screen. "On earth, Mount _Kailash_ is part of the Himalayas, and considered to be sacred for many tribes in northern India." He clicks the next screen. A different, yet eerily-similar mountain-top. Two hazy moons float in the sky behind it.

"The people of Kailasa call themselves the Nagas," He pauses, Cam thinks for dramatic tension, and turns another slide. Only Daniel would find this exciting.

A stone carving of several human figures spread out around a central, four-armed woman flashes in view. "On Earth, the Naga are an ancient clan of Hindus that historical accounts reported to be all but wiped out in a war with another kingdom in what is now modern-day Palistine." He clicks another slide, this one of stone carvings of intricate script. "However, after studying local accounts and piecing together their history from totems, it is my belief that most of the original tribe was actually abducted from earth several thousand years ago by the Goa'uld," he pauses to look around the room significantly and clicks through another slide showing two figures with human torsos and instead of legs, serpentine bodies twining together in an intricate knot, "This is where things get a little confusing."

Cameron clears his throat gently and leans back in his chair, feeling indulgent.

A painting of the four-armed woman is on the screen. Her skin is blue, and she wears a garland of skulls around her neck. Cam tilts his head to the side and squints. She's dancing on a prone man, and sticking her tongue out. On her left side, she brandishes a severed head and a bowl to catch its blood. In her right hands are a sword and trident.

"Many of the totems around the village depict what appears to be Kali, consort of Shiva," he clicks and the picture zooms in to the man she's dancing on, "and goddess of eternal energy."

"She's a goa'uld, isn't she?" Cam asks.

"Yes, but this planet was never part of the goa'uld Kali's domain," Daniel explains, "or at least, it wasn't for long."

He clicks again, and the photo changes to a small obelisk covered in flowers and shaped like-

"That looks like a ZPM," General Landry interjects, dumbfounded.

"Yes sir." Daniel nods, and clicks a new slide. "They're very similar to traditional Lingam, or Shiva-linga, which are used as a means of offering to Shiva. They're all over the village," he tosses the slide remote to Sam.

"Are they ancients, then?" Cam asks, flipping through the file.

"No more than General O'Neil," Sam answers, and clicks up another slide, two rotating double helixes. "Their average genetic make-up has only a slightly higher amount of the Ancient gene than ours."

"And..." Cam looks around, confused.

"And," Sam says, "there are no energy readings or radiation signatures coming from any part of the village except directly around the stargate."

"None?" General Landry asks incredulously. "Are the ZPMs operational?".

"Not at all, sir," Sam continues. "And as far as we can tell, the people are completely undeveloped technologically. We didn't even find Goa'uld tech, sir, despite the history of the people." She pauses and chews the inside of her cheek. "Yet there are, all told, dozens of depleted ZPMs in the village, and the people can read and write Ancient."

General Landry cuts to the chase. "So, what can they offer us, apart from a bunch of dead power sources?"

"Frankly, sir, it's a mystery worth investigating," Sam offers.

"From a technological standpoint, or a sociological?" Landry's face doesn't give anything away.

Daniel leans forward and pats the table gently. "Well, sir, they are a remarkably untouched society with ties to both a race of people on Earth that have been largely extinct for thousands of years, and to the Ancients themselves."

Cam skips to the end of the briefing packet. No tech, no naquadah, no nothin'.

"So, you just wanna talk to them." Cam flips his folder closed and slides it away from him in good humor. "See what you can see." _How very Daniel._

"Yes," Daniel says hopefully, watching Landry with wide eyes.

Landry purses his lips and grunts. "Alright. Colonel Mitchell goes with you." Cam swallows an excited lurch of his stomach. "You've got two weeks, and then I want you ready to take off when the Daedalus arrives to check in and pick up Vala from Tomin and his people."

"Thank you, sir," Daniel says quickly and gathers his papers together. Cam half-stands out of his seat. General Landry waves his hand and leaves the room.

"Two weeks talkin'," Cam says, picking up his folder and pushing his chair back from the table.

Sam flashes a huge smile.

"It'll be fun!" she says, unplugging the laptop. Cam can't tell if she's joking or not, since her idea of fun is pretty much the opposite of his. She's staying behind, playing with the Ark at Area 51; something she's chomping at the bit to do, something that'd have Cam clawing his eyes out after twenty minutes.

"I can't imagine it will be fun for you," Daniel says apologetically.

"Hell, I love talking," Cam says with a shrug. Teal'c quirks his eyebrow.

"Yeah, they speak an extinct dialect of Hindi," Daniel continues, "So I don't know how much talking you'll get to do."

"Well, then, I love waving my hands and pointing," Cam says.

"Indeed, it is a skill which you have mastered," Teal'c booms.

***

They arrive at dusk on the second day of Diwali. A contingent of eleven people greet them at the gate and Cam's immediate impression is of orange and red and glittering blue and a whole hillside alight with oil lamps. It's enchanting.

A middle-aged man with a limp comes toward them and bows. He speaks to Daniel in swift, bubbling speech. Daniel nods and introduces them.

"This is Amrit," Daniel says, "we're staying with his family."

"Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell, United States Air Force, Earth," Cam responds and bows. Daniel translates haltingly. Cam imagines they don't have words for "Air Force." He wonders if they even have soldiers; things look pretty peaceful from where he stands.

An old woman breaks apart from the crowd and stands before them with a silver platter holding candles and a shallow disc of red paste. She is wearing a deep orange sari that jingles around her feet with bells dangling from the hem. Daniel bows and murmurs 'namaskar' with his hands pressed together before his face.

When he straightens, she waves the platter in a wide circle before him. He seems to know what happens next and stoops to her height. She smears red paste on his forehead with her thumb and then bows to him. Daniel smiles and bows again. She gives him a wobbly nod of her head and a wide, bright grin before moving to stand before Cam.

"What do I do?" Cam whispers.

"Bow like I did," Daniel whispers back. Cam puts his hands together and bobs obediently as they go through the same ritual. She backs away and beckons them to follow the group. In the growing dusk, her thin arms are waving silhouettes against the sparkling hillside behind her.

"What was that?" he asks Daniel out of the corner of his mouth.

"It's vermilion. They were blessing us," Daniel says, and they follow the greeting party down the road to the village.

"That was nice of them." Cam feels giddy. The air is soft and smells spicy. People grin and call out to them as they pass intricate houses half-carved into the hills. Children run up and offer them flowers. Cam loves the place already. "What's next?"

"Food, probably," Daniel speculates. Cam's mouth waters a little. The best dinner he's ever had was at a curry stand in London a few years back, and he's excited to try something more authentic. "Then possibly a massage and a bath if the customs are similar to traditional Hindu." Daniel catches his eye with a wry grin.

"I love this planet," Cam says happily. Daniel grins back and they stroll along enjoying the lights.

***

There are surprisingly acrobatic massages, from old, wiry men. They roll and drag Cam around the floor with sweet-smelling oils and he staggers away from the experience more relaxed than he's ever been. Amrit meets him at the door and leads him to the bathhouse. Daniel is on the way out, rubbing his hair with a linen cloth.

"Good?" Daniel asks.

"I love this planet," Cam says and ducks through the low doorway. He looks over his shoulder to see Daniel grin and stroll away.

After they're clean and dry, the whole village meets in the square and shares a meal of so many different dishes, Cam can't begin to guess what they are. Cam tries everything, spicy and tangy and sweet. He's drinking cool rice beer when there's a gentle tug on his sleeve. Cam looks down and sees huge brown eyes staring up at him from the face of a girl who can't be more than two.

"Hello," Cam says as Daniel looks on from across the table. The little girl offers up a wad of bread in her pudgy hand. Cam takes the bread and holds it to his mouth, pretending to eat it loudly. He hands it back and the girl takes it with a shriek of laughter and scampers away, the bells on her skirts jingling merrily.

"How do you say 'thank you,' anyway?" Cam asks.

"Dhanyavaad, I think," Daniel says. He turns to Amrit and says something. Amrit answers, his back straightening proudly.

"That's Amrit's daughter, Nisha," Daniel tells Cam. Cam nods and when he looks down again, Nisha has reappeared at his side with a samosa. He grins at her and she pretends to eat it, and then holds it to his face. He mimes eating again, and she screams happily and dances away. Another minute later, and she comes back with a ball of fried dough. Then a cup of chutney, and a pakora, and a thin wafer of bread. Cam pretends to eat them all and she laughs and laughs from deep in her belly. This goes on for a while before an older girl in an orange sari comes to collect her.

She attempts to drag a protesting Nisha away, but Amrit speaks again. She looks as though she'd like to say something, but clenches her jaw and bows stiffly to them. They learn that she his eldest daughter, Ananta. Amrit then shouts and waves to the ladies hovering around the cooking fires across the square. A plump, middle-aged woman dressed in blue breaks away from the cluster and comes to stand behind Amrit with her hands on his shoulders.

"This is Amrit's wife, Gauri," Daniel says. She smiles a wide, pleasant smile and bows to them, murmuring, "Namaskar."

Amrit chitters to her and she shakes her head, settling herself down on the cushion beside him. Another girl of eight or nine runs up and throws herself down beside Gauri. She immediately launches into a rapid string of words Cam doesn't understand, but whining sounds the same in every language.

Gauri clucks her tongue and waves her hand. The girl sighs heavily and goes back to the fires.

Amrit gives them a wry smile and explains to Daniel that it is his middle daughter, Chanda, who doesn't seem to be pleased with her job of stirring pots.

"How many kids does the guy have?" Cam asks incredulously.

"Just the three, apparently," Daniel says. Cam chuckles to himself and sips his beer. This place is just like being on vacation. He ignores Nisha creeping up behind him with a fistful of rice.

***

After the celebrations, they return to Amrit's home in happy spirits. Amrit shows them to a long, low-ceilinged room with a packed dirt floor covered in woven mats. Oil lamps line the windows and throw dancing shadows around the room. It's warm, cozy, and has the faint smell of grass. Cam hears cows lowing outside in the yard. There are two padded mats unrolled on the floor, on top of which lay thick blankets and pillows.

Daniel murmurs something to Amrit and bows. Cam remembers himself and says, "Dhanyavaad."

Amrit returns the gesture and backs out of the room, alternately clasping his hands together and pointing at the mats before backing out of the room.

A full meal and several cups of rice beer make Cam loose and comfortable. His body hums pleasantly and the movement of his shoulders when he shrugs his vest off feels delicious.

"So, what did you think?" Daniel stumbles over to his sleeping pad and crouches down to untie his boots.

"I love these people," Cam states. His boots are off and he sprawls on his mat face-down without bothering to remove his jacket or pants.

"Oh good," Daniel responds, and stretches out on his back, jacket crumpled at the foot of his mat.

"I love Amrit and Gauri and those damn cute kids," Cam mumbles into his pillow and turning his face to the side. Daniel tucks his hands under his head and gazes at the ceiling. His t-shirt rides up and Cam watches his stomach rise and fall with his breathing.

"Nisha loves you."

"Yeah, she's a trip," Cam says, "and that Ananta is going to be a heartbreaker."

"Apparently she's getting married in two weeks to one of the big shots in the community."

"Huh," Cam pushes himself up on his elbows and squints across the room at Daniel. "She can't be more than..." he pauses, considering hazily, "sixteen."

"Fifteen, actually." Daniel scrubs at his face and flops on his side to look at Cam. "It's not that uncommon, though, when marriage is a system of economy."

Cam frowns and shakes his head. "That's a shame," he says and drops his face back down to the pillow.

***

 

The celebrations of Diwali pass in a flickering, colorful blur. They spend most of their time talking to the villagers about the ZPMs and studying the totems around the gate. Daniel does a lot of hmming and taking notes. Cam does a lot of eating and gets chased by Nisha, who seems to have adopted him.

Amrit's limp is advanced arthritis, they find out, and he can't work his fields any longer. With just one assistant, most of them have gone fallow, and once they find this out, Cam and Daniel begin to eat less at meal times. Cam usually ends up giving Nisha most of his plate.

Daniel gives Amrit the ibuprofen that he has in his med pack, with a promise of more on their next check-in. It seems to do him some good, although his feet still shuffle most of the time.

***

"So I've been working on a theory," Daniel says at the water barrel outside the house. It's day ten, and they're getting ready for the following day's wedding celebrations.

"Yeah?" Cam prompts. He takes a ladle of water and pours it over his neck and face.

"I think," and Daniel pauses to use the ladle on himself, "that Kali was originally an Ancient."

"Huh." Cam ponders that. "And after she ascended, the goa'uld came along and assumed her identity?"

"Exactly." Daniel splashes a handful of water in his face.

"Wouldn't ascended-Kali have a problem with that?" Cam asks.

"Probably, but if she follows the Ancients' rules, she couldn't do much about it," Daniel says.

"Huh."

"Yeah."

Cam thinks to himself for a moment and then dunks his head unceremoniously into the barrel. He comes up to the sound of Daniel's laughing and shakes his head, water droplets flying everywhere.

"Those rules have got to get real annoying after a while," Cam says, reaching for his towel.

"That's why they're rules," Daniel says. "They're not supposed to be convenient."

"I can deal with inconvenience," Cam says, "it's the unfairness that gets me."

"Yeah," Daniel sighs, "I'm pretty used to unfair."

Cam steals a glance at Daniel's back bent over the water barrel. Cam wonders how long it takes for this job to make 'unfair' comfortable.

***

"So, why did Goa'uld Kali give this planet up?" Cam asks later that morning. They're trudging back to the gate for their scheduled check-in. The morning air is crisp and clear. Cam wishes for an apple, suddenly, compromising with a protein bar.

"Well, several of the records I've been finding refer to the planet being 'unsuitable'," Daniel explains.

Cam looks around, chewing.

"Seems pretty nice to me," he says thickly, "but I'm easy to please."

"Yeah, it's funny-" Daniel hesitates, and then chuckles to himself. "It's almost like they thought it was haunted."

Cam snorts. "Yeah, right." He nudges Daniel's shoulder, who lees dramatically to the left before picking up speed and slamming Cam in the side.

***

Chanda comes to them with tea in the evening.

"Thank you," Cam says automatically, taking his cup from the tray.

"You're welcome," Chanda replies before Cam has a chance to repeat his thanks in their language, and turns to Daniel, who's looking at her in shock.

"Can you speak English?" Daniel asks, incredulously.

"Not well, but I learn." She sounds proud of herself and stands up straight in the low room.

"From us?" Cam can't get his head around that.

"Yes," she says and bows out of the room.

Cam and Daniel stare at each other, tea going cold.

***

The whole family has learned English over the week, it seems, including Nisha. She shouts, 'Colonel!' when he ducks into the main room and affixes herself to his leg.

Gauri sits by the fire kneading a large mound of dough. She gestures for them to sit by her.

"How did you learn so quickly?" Daniel asks her.

"We hear what you do not say," Gauri says, her accent bubbling. Cam's face and chest go icy cold.

Daniel narrows his eyes. "I don't think I understand."

His fists are clenched, though, and Cam thinks he's unsettled, too.

"In your mind, words come more naturally than when you speak aloud," Amrit explains. Gauri taps her temple with a floury hand.

"You can read our minds?" Daniel's eyes are the widest Cam has ever seen them.

"We do not pry," Amrit is quick to tell them, "we listen only when you are speaking to us, to understand the emotion."

"How is this possible?" Cam barks.

Amrit holds his hands up in placation, gets to his feet and crosses the room to their Shiva-Linga. He gathers a handful of marigold petals, holds them to his lips and forehead, and then sprinkles them over the ZPM. It flashes briefly and a pulse shudders through the room. Amrit then pulls a small medallion from inside his shirt and holds it out for Daniel to examine. Cam limps up behind him to get a closer look. Nisha giggles and begins to play with his boot lace.

It's a small disc, the size of a quarter, with ancient script winding around the outer edge, and the center glowing orange.

"What does it say?" Cam asks.

"From ignorance, lead me to truth," Daniel murmurs.

"What is it?"

"It's a mantra," Daniel explains. "Does everyone in the village have these medallions?" he asks Amrit.

Amrit gives a shaky nod. Cam looks at Gauri and Chanda, who pull their medallions out over their saris.

Nisha bites Cam's knee and he yelps, reaching down to scoop her up. "Do you know what I'm thinking?" he asks her. Nisha squints her eyes at him solemly. Then she sticks her tongue out and makes a rude noise, splattering him with spit.

"Yep," Cam says and sets her down.

"We need to tell Sam about these," Daniel says.

"I'll go first thing tomorrow," Cam answers.

***

Someone is licking Cam's ear. His first reaction is arousal, but once he's awake enough to think about it, someone is licking his _whole_ ear.

"Uhhh." He opens his eyes and sees Daniel sleeping a few feet away. A snuffle of breath stirs his hair and his molester lets out a loud _moooooooooooo_.

"Whoa!" Cam cries and shoves upright. A brown cow is standing over him, blinking placidly. Its horns are decorated with ribbons and there is a garland of flowers around its neck.

Daniel sits up fast and flails around wildly. "What? What's wrong?!" He jams his glasses on his face crooked.

"Bessie here scared the crap outta me," Cam says. Daniel blinks at him for a moment, then at the cow. Then he bites his lips together, clutches his stomach and doubles over.

"Shut up," Cam says, but starts chuckling himself.

"I'm sorry," Daniel wheezes, "but you shoulda seen your face." He removes his glasses and wipes at his eyes. Cam laughs with him, enjoying this rare side of Daniel.

Ten minutes later, he's heading down the road to the gate on his own. People call out to him in greeting and he waves as he passes.

The road curves around a sheer rock face and just as he's coming to the corner, he sees Ananta standing on the edge, peering over.

"Yo, Ananta!" he calls out. She startles and whirls around, so close to the edge that her heels scrape rocks over the side.

"Stay back!" she shouts. Cam comes to an abrupt halt.

"What's going on?" he says carefully inching closer.

"I will not marry him," she says. Her eyes look dead, bloodshot from tears.

"Whoa, let's talk about this." Cam chances another step forward.

"He has six wives," Ananta says, and peers over her shoulder. There's nothing behind her but uninterrupted sky. "I will be invisible."

"Well, I can't speak to that," Cam stalls, "but come back over here and we'll go and talk to your folks."

"No!" Ananta shrieks.

"Look, let me help you," Cam says carefully, making little sweeping motions toward him.

"No one can help me," Ananta sobs, hunching her shoulders. Cam bites his lip, hesitates, and then lunges, snagging her arm and swinging her back from the edge.

"I can help you," Cam insists. He steadies her and brushes her shoulders off. She looks at him like he's just ruined her life.

"And what can you do?" she asks, but lets herself be led away.

"I don't know," Cam says, "let me talk to Daniel about it."

She squints at him suspiciously.

"C'mon," Cam prods, "how bad is this guy that you would kill yourself to get away from him?"

"He is greedy and lazy and I will be expected to bear him _children_ and wait on him hand and foot." Ananta sniffs wetly and wipes her cheeks. "I have seen how he treats his other wives, they are little more than slaves."

"Oh." Cam purses his lips and they walk on in silence.

The family house comes into view and Ananta straightens her hair, wipes the tears from her face, and goes inside.

Daniel is crouched in front of the ZPM, taking notes in his journal.

"Hey." He looks up when Cam comes in.

"I need to talk to you," Cam mutters.

"What did Sam say?" Daniel asks.

"Now." Cam tugs on Daniel's sleeve and leads him to their room. In a quiet voice, he tells Daniel about his encounter with Ananta.

"How did you think we could help her?" Daniel demands. He doesn't sound angry, more annoyed. Frustrated. Maybe he's learned not to make promises he can't keep.

"I wasn't thinking about that, I was just trying to _save her life_," Cam grits. Spit bubbles on his bottom lip and he licks it absently.

"We need to talk to the SGC," Daniel pinches the bridge of his nose.

"I didn't even make it back to the gate," Cam says. He stretches his neck and cracks it. "C'mon, suit up,"

Daniel shrugs on his vest and they head out. Ananta and Chanda are stringing marigolds in a chain outside. Ananta watches them carefully.

"We'll be back soon," Cam assures them. Chanda nods and goes back to stringing. Cam gets a sinking feeling as Ananta stands to follow them.

"Shouldn't you be helping your sister there?" he asks.

"You should take me with you," she says.

They stop and Daniel drops his head back. "We can't do that," he says.

"I will be dead before you return if you leave without me," she says quietly.

Cam steps in and holds his hands out. "We can't just bring you back with us," he says cautiously, "your family would miss you."

"They would trade me to pay my father's debts," she says, "I owe them nothing."

"What would happen to your fathers debts if you don't marry Dinesh?" Daniel asks. "Would Chanda be next in line?"

Ananta juts out her chin defiantly. "If they needed currency, they should have had chickens, not daughters."

Daniel opens his mouth to respond, but there's a commotion across the square. A man Amrit's age strolls through, trailed by three young women, none of which could be older than twenty. They're flanked by several armed men, which gives Cam pause. Ananta stiffens and steps behind Cam.

"S'that him?" he asks from the corner of his mouth. She nods, fingers digging into the side of his arm and whispers, "Dinesh." While they look on, the group pauses by a fruit stall.

"He doesn't look so bad," Daniel starts. Across the square, Dinesh shouts at one of the women in his entourage. She cowers away from him and says something too quiet for them to hear. This seems to anger Dinesh more, and he backhands her, the sound echoing in the square. She drops to her knees before him and spits out blood.

Cam starts forward without thinking.

"What the hell is going on?" he demands. He plows past villagers who keep their eyes low and continue to go about their business.

"This is none of your concern," Dinesh sneers, looking Cam up and down in disgust.

"Where I come from, you don't hit a woman unless you think you're in for a fair fight," Cam stops several feet away. He's squared off with some troublesome folks, but the darkness in Dinesh's eyes makes Cam uncomfortable.

Dinesh jerks his chin to the side. One of his guards moves forward and glowers at the side of Cam's face.

"You would do well," Dinesh says deliberately, "to mind your own business while a guest in my town."

Cam stares him down for another moment and then turns on his heel. He makes his way back to where Daniel and Ananta are watching with wary faces.

"Okay, I'm in," Cam mutters. Daniel nods and they take off with Ananta in tow. They're clearing the first ridge when Cam hears the shouting.

***

Cam is running for his life. He's running for Daniel's life, and the life of that damn girl that he can't say no to. He can't hear anything but the pounding of his feet on the gravel road, the rush of his breath, and the rhythmic zip of his sleeves against his flack-vest. He looks over his shoulder to see Daniel struggling just behind him, wrenching Ananta forward by her outstretched hand. They're almost to the gate, Cam can see the top chevron over the rise before him.

_Thump, scrape, hush._ He flings himself the last few steps at the DHD, hand outstretched for the keys. Too late - he hears a crackle and his body is thrown backward. He sails through the air and lands on his back with a painful crush of his shoulders.

"What the hell?" He gasps, dizzy and confused. He scrambles upright just as Daniel reaches his side with the girl still in tow. Cam smacks his P-90 at the barrier, makes contact with something solid and a red bloom of electricity spirals outward in mid-air. His face feels fuzzy, and his fingers are going numb.

"Where did this come from?" Daniel says, frantic. He reaches his hand out and then yanks it back, shaking it forcefully.

"I don't know!" Cam says and whirls around at the sound of angry shouts. Daniel sucks his fingers into his mouth and they turn to see a crowd of villagers pour over the rise they just scrambled down.

"Man, they're fast," Cam says, "Where'd they all come from?"

"There are many paths from the village to the Ancestral Eye," Ananta pipes up, hiding her face in the back of Daniel's vest.

"Oh, _now_ she tells us," Cam says, his teeth clenched.

They're quickly surrounded by men carrying bows and wickedly curved swords. One man strides forward and jams the point of his sword under Cam's chin, forcing his head upward.

"Crap," Cam mutters. He lowers his gun and puts his hands up.

Daniel pushes Ananta behind him and raises his arms, too. "Now what?" he asks out of the corner of his mouth.

"I got nothin'," Cam replies.

***

Their guns and vests are taken away and they're bound together back to back, dumped in jail cell that's being used as a root cellar, left with nothing but potatoes and cabbages for company.

"Two weeks and we don't see a single weapon, now all of a sudden, they've got a standing army," Cam says darkly. His knees ache, and the pain in his hip is throbbing in an unwelcome reminder of the stretches he's missed.

"It's not really an army," Daniel says, infuriatingly reasonable.

"I don't like being lied to," Cam insists.

"They didn't lie." Daniel says, "They just didn't tell us."

"I mean, we think they have no technology, then we find a damn _force field_ blocking the gate," Cam says.

"Don't forget the mind reading," Daniel adds.

"And the mind reading," Cam concedes. He wriggles his hands to try and find a weakness in the knot. "So, now what?" Cam asks. Daniel drops his head back to rest on Cam's shoulder.

"I don't know," he says, "torture?"

"No," Cam says shortly, "I mean what do we do now?"

"We've been in worse positions before," Daniel says. Cam nudges the corner of a crate with his boot. The dampness of the room has made the wood soft and he's soon exposed the tip of a rusty nail.

The outer door of the outer room bangs open and Amrit shuffles up to their cell.

"Amrit!" Cam says with a grin, "My man, can you get us out of here?"

Amrit's face is twisted in agony and streaked with tears. Cam stops smiling.

"They believe Ananta is impure," Amrit says quietly.

"What?!" Cam shouts.

"No, Amrit, that's not true," Daniel says. "She just wanted to leave because she didn't want to marry Dinesh."

"It matters not." Amrit's shoulders slump, defeated. "She is to die for this tonight." Cam wants to be able to reach out, to say something. He doesn't know any words that could make a difference.

"This isn't fair," Daniel insists. "We need to speak to Dinesh."

"His decision is final." Amrit backs away, hands clasped before him, "I do not even know what to do." he reaches for the door. A bell chimes and Amrit jumps. "They have begun and I cannot-"

He stops, looking lost. His gaze darts between Daniel and Cam, and then leaves wordlessly.

"What the hell just happened?" Cam asks, dumfounded.

They can hear a crowd gathering outside, the growing murmur of voices drifting in from above. But without windows they can't see Ananta's formal accusation, nor Amrit's pleading. The sword doesn't make a sound, but they know. Suddenly, the crowd goes silent, and there's a high, keening wail.

"Gauri," Daniel guesses.

"Amrit," Cam counters.

Night falls, and they are not given food or water. Cam, who hasn't eaten since the pastries Chanda brought them that morning, has gone without for longer. He's exhausted, though, and closes his eyes.

***

Bessie is licking Cam's forehead. He wakes up and automatically pushes the cow away. He looks over at Daniel, sleeping peacefully, and smiles to himself. He feels like he's forgotten something important, and the feeling nags at him as he gets up and pulls his pants on and tugs a clean t-shirt out of his pack.

There is a gentle knock on the door, and Chanda peeks her head in. She sees Cam awake and scurries over with her usual tray of tea and pastries.

Cam takes one and as soon as he bites into the soft dough, the previous day comes crashing back.

"Ananta," Cam says, dropping his pastry on the floor.

"She is gathering flowers for her wedding garland," Chanda says. "Do you need to speak to her?"

"She's what?!"

Daniel stirs awake. He opens his eyes and stares blankly at the ceiling, then he sits up fast and looks at Cam.

"What's going on?" he asks.

"I have no idea," Cam says. He gets up and puts his shirt on. Barefoot, he stumbles into the main room and sees Gauri at the fire.

"Where's Ananta?" Cam asks the room at large. Gauri looks up from the fire and gestures at the door.

"She is gathering flowers for her garlands," Gauri says. Amrit comes in, carrying a clay pot that he sets by the fire.

"Amrit, what's going on?" Daniel asks, stepping into the room behind Cam.

Amrit looks puzzled. "Is something wrong?"

Daniel and Cam look at each other, eyebrows furrowed. "Gate," they say in unison and rush to gather their equipment. Cam trips and nearly falls over Nisha, who laughs and says, "Again!"

Thirty seconds later, they're running through the town. People call out to them happily, but they don't bother to respond. As they round the sharp bend, they see Ananta and Cam stops suddenly, holding his arm out to catch Daniel before he skids past.

"Ananta," Cam says, confused. She starts and whirls around.

"What the hell?" Daniel says.

"Ananta, what's going on?" Cam demands.

"I will not marry him!" Ananta cries.

"Okay, we know, come here and talk to us," Cam says. He leans back, putting his weight on his right foot. Ananta looks back over her shoulder; Cam leaps forward, wraps his hand around the back of Ananta's shoulders, and pivots at the last minute, spinning them both away from the cliff face. They tumble across the road.

"He's not worth that," Cam huffs, getting to his feet. He reaches down and helps Ananta up. Daniel is standing to the side, watching Cam with a curious expression.

"Let's go back, make sure she gets home safely," Daniel says. Cam nods and checks his clip.

"What happened yesterday?" Daniel asks Ananta.

"I do not know what you mean," Ananta says and gathers her skirts, walking primly in the direction of her home.

They're just crossing the village square when Dinesh and his entourage are leaving his lavish house. Cam is looking around for a different route when Dinesh sees them.

"Ananta!" he cries out, and steps in their path. "My beautiful bride, how lovely you are today."

Ananta stays close to Daniel's side and keeps her gaze firmly on her feet. She clasps her hands and bends at the waist, muttering, "Namaskar."

"Come now, what kind of greeting is that for your husband?" He takes a step forward and reaches out to her, "Come and kiss me now."

"Well, hey, I musta missed something," Cam says, taking a step in front of Ananta, "Cos I was sure that the wedding wasn't until tonight. Am I right, Jackson?"

"Yep, tonight," Daniel chimes in.

"What business is that of yours?" Dinesh sneers.

"We wouldn't want anything _dishonorable_ going on," Cam says. He can't figure out why they haven't been tackled and stripped of their guns yet. Or why they were set free in the first place. Dinesh stares him down, and Cam feels the same sickness creeping through his chest as yesterday. Dinesh hisses and his body jerks, and Cam feels something sharp and hot in his belly. He looks down to see Dinesh's hand slide a long silver knife out of his side.

"Huh," Cam says. He's close enough to pitch forward and bashes his forehead against Dinesh's before his legs give out and he slumps to the ground.

Daniel shouts and shoves Ananta aside, catching Cam by the shoulders.

"Cam, Cam, hold on, talk to me," he says. Daniel pushes his hands against the wound and Cam jerks and wheezes, blood filling his mouth.

Cam sees Ananta run off toward her house, but he can't focus on anything. Daniel's face looms into view.

"Cam," Daniel says.

Cam gurgles. It seems like an appropriate response. He feels Daniel's hands on his face, smoothing across his forehead. Darkness drags him down.

***

It feels like only a moment has passed before Cam wakes again, Daniel's hands still stroking his forehead. There's a huff of air, and a loud "_Mooooooo_." Cam's eyes snap open and he's staring up the nose of the cow. He's in his sleeping bag, in their bedroom, with sunlight streaming through the window.

Daniel shoots upright in his sleeping bag. "Whoa!"

"Yeah," Cam grits out. He reaches up and shoves the cow away. He flips his sleeping bag open and sits up on one elbow, rubbing his eyes, and trying to subdue the headache.

"You're not bleeding," Daniel says, and scrambles across the floor to examine his stomach. He paws around, trying to find the wound.

"Hey, that tickles." Cam can't stop a chuckle. Daniel seems to notice that he's groping Cam while he's half naked and jumps back, clutching his hands together.

"Time loop," Daniel says grimly.

"Yeah?" Cam's stomach feels hot where Daniel's hands were. Where his wound was? Yeah, that's it. "Why couldn't I get the fun loop?" Cam grumbles.

"Yeah," Daniel crawls back to his sleeping bag and starts getting dressed. Cam drags his pants on, and is just shrugging his t-shirt over his head when the quiet knock of Chanda comes.

"Come in!" Daniel calls.

Chanda creeps in and offers them their usual tea.

"Where's Ananta?" Daniel asks, sounding remarkably innocent.

"She is gathering flowers for her garland," Chanda answers.

Cam nods and drinks his tea as nonchalantly as he can. Once Chanda closes the door, they jump into action.

"Plan," Cam says, yanking his pants on.

"Well, we need to try to dial the gate," Daniel says. He's jamming his feet into his boots. "Maybe Sam can figure out what's going on here,"

"Think it's tech?" Cam asks.

"Well, it was last time," Daniel reasons, "and we haven't actually come across magic yet, so I'm betting that it has something to do with the 'Lingas."

"They were under our noses the whole time," Cam says ruefully. He stands and stretches, feeling a dull ache in his side. He's exhausted, too, like he hasn't slept in days. He yawns while he waits for Daniel to finish suiting up.

"I wanna ask Ananta if she knows anything," Cam decides.

"Oh, god, Ananta," Daniel says, suddenly. He and Cam look at each other, and then take off at a run.

She's teetering on her toes, body swaying forward, and Cam lunges. His hand closes on the glittering blue fabric of her sari, and Daniel's hand is steady on the strap of his vest.

"Stop," Cam says, and they scramble back to the safety of the road. "Let's go and talk about this."

Ananta walks with them as though she is going to her death.

***

The top of the gate is just visible over the ridge when Cam hears a twig snap and pebbles tumble down the hillside to their right. He throws up a fist, and he and Daniel crouch, guns raised.

"Ananta!" a young man's voice cries out.

"Come out here where I can see you," Cam says evenly.

A boy of sixteen or seventeen scrambles through the bushes and approaches them cautiously.

"Kumara!" Ananta shrieks, "Why are you here?"

"Do not harm her!" Kumara says hotly.

"Who the hell is he?" Cam says to Daniel.

"He's Dinesh's son," Daniel whispers.

"How do you know that?"

"I talk to people, remember?"

Cam looks at Daniel sideways. "Why were you following us?" he asks Kumara.

"I would not see her harmed," Kumara says with a hint of desperation.

"We're not going to hurt her," Cam says, "so run on home to your Daddy."

"I love her," Kumara persists.

Cam throws his head back. "You got anything else for us?" he asks the sky.

Armed men erupt out of the bushes on all sides.

"Careful what you wish for," Daniel says wryly.

***

It's the cellar for them again. They're just scrabbling for the rusty nail when the door slams open.

Expecting Amrit, they look up hopefully. Dinesh steps into the room, flanked by two guards carrying their confiscated weapons. He snaps his fingers, and one of them unlocks the cell and hauls Daniel and Cam to their feet. Dinesh swaggers over to Cam.

"You thought you could steal my bride," he says, emotionless, like he's reading the nutrition information on the back of a milk carton. His breath smells sour.

"No." Cam doesn't look away. He knows what's coming, even before Dinesh's shoulder jerks. It's like being stabbed with ice. He feels the knife slide in and he can't help but grunt. Daniel shouts and tries to get his hands free, which jerks Cam's body, twisting the knife in his gut.

A guard pistol-whips Daniel and he slumps. Cam is dragged down with him, wrenching his body off the knife, and he waits for the darkness.

***

Wetness on his forehead - Cam pushes the cow away and sits up, tired as hell and spitting mad. Daniel is stirring beside him, swearing and kicking his covers away with difficulty.

"God _dammit_," Daniel says, finally winning his war with the sleeping bag. "He hit me!"

"Hello," Cam says, "Stabbed!"

Daniel pauses thoughtfully and Cam just shakes his head. They finish dressing wordlessly and leave before Chanda brings the tea.

When they come across Ananta contemplating her fall, Cam doesn't even think. She isn't paying attention to their approach, so he simply walks up and yanks her back.

"C'mon," he says, and they start marching to the gate. They trudge on for ten minutes or so in silence.

They come to a fork in the road and take a different path to avoid coming upon the place where Kumara ambushed them the day before. The path snakes around for a while before cutting through a thick band of trees.

Off the path to the right is a large obelisk. Daniel pauses to study it. Cam realizes he's stopped and doubles back to see what the hold-up is.

"C'mon," he says, nudging Daniel.

"I haven't seen this one before," Daniel says. He brushes his hands over the engravings, reading to himself under his breath.

"It's real pretty," Cam says. "Let's go."

"Wait-" Daniel waves his hand over the surface of a panel. The writing flashes red and a figure appears on the path between Cam and Daniel. Ananta shrieks and ducks behind Cam.

"Whoa!" he says, aiming his gun at it.

It's a woman with long, dark hair and bright green eyes. Her skin is pale blue, and she wears a sari of deep, shimering gold.

"Namaskar," she says and bows. As her arms move, the hologram trails, and gives her the appearance of having several pairs of arms.

"Hello," Daniel says. She stands motionless.

"Huh," Daniel says. He looks back at the carvings and reads them swiftly.

"What do we do with it?" Cam asks. He goes up and waves his hand in front of her face.

"Hello?"

Daniel is engrossed in the engravings.

"Is it Kali?" Cam tries again.

"Soham," she says.

"Soham," Daniel repeats, "soham soham... I myself!" he says triumphantly.

"So, it is Kali?" Cam says.

"Yes," Daniel says. He leaves the obelisk and stands next to Cam in front of the hologram.

"Why is this happening to us?" he asks.

"It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers," she says.

"Thats... not helpful," Cam says.

Daniel stares at the hologram.

"What can we do to stop the time loop?" he tries again.

"You can never enter the same river twice." With that, the hologram disappears and footsteps pound up from all sides.

"Aw, crap," Cam says.

****

Cam is really tired of dying. Not just dying though, he's tired of this damn planet and these damn people. He's never hated anyone as much as he hates Dinesh when he wakes that moment.

Daniel swears to his right and Cam hears him kicking the sleeping bag.

"Why does he always stab you _there_?" Daniel asks.

"Can't cry out," Cam says flatly. "Let's go."

***

The totem is easier to activate the second time around, and so they have more time to question the hologram.

They go through the greeting and Daniel asks different questions. Her responses are consistently obtuse.

"I think she came with village," Daniel says at length.

"When?" Cam keeps his eyes on the the direction they were attacked from before.

"When the Goa'uld brought them here," Daniel says.

"You think she was there the whole time?"

Daniel stares at the shimmering figure for a long moment.

"I think she's still here," he says.

"What?"

"Like Morgan le Fay at Atlantis,"

Cam looks at the hologram.

"That's a dirty trick," he says.

Kali looks directly at him and says, "Saints fly only in the eyes of their disciples."

Dinesh storms up and Cam groans in frustration.

***

Four days pass, and they can't get any further with her.

Why is this happening? _There will always be a ditch in front of a person in a hurry._ How do we save Ananta? _Don't bargain for fish which are still in the water._ How do we avoid Dinesh stabbing Cam for the nine hundredth time? _The cobra will bite you whether you call it cobra or Mr. Cobra._

Daniel asks the same questions again and again.

On the fifth day, Kali seems to become frustrated with him.

"Please," he begs, "how do we stop this?"

She looks at him for a long moment. "The eyes do not see what the mind does not want."

"Oh crap," Daniel says.

Dinesh and his men come crashing through down the path and Cam is too distracted to even put up his weapon.

"What did she say?" he shouts as they drag him away.

***

Daniel sits up and looks at Cam. He doesn't wrestle with his sleeping bag, he doesn't reach for his clothes.

Cam pushes the cow away and sits up. "C'mon, hustle up," Cam says and gets dressed.

He's zipped-up and is slapping a clip into his P-90 and Daniel still hasn't moved.

"What are you doing?" Cam asks, annoyed. Daniel sighs, and scrubs the heels of his hands into his eyes. Cam thinks he must be exhausted, and he understands. He's bone-weary himself and wants nothing more to burrow into his sleeping bag and sleep till Tuesday. He reaches down and throws Daniel's pants toward him.

"Meet me at the totem," Cam says and he's off into the morning.

Daniel doesn't come. Dinesh doesn't say anything this time, either, just marches up and stabs him before he can even struggle against his captors.

***

Cam wakes to the same wet greeting. He pushes at Bessie automatically, and sits up. Daniel is watching him.

"Where the hell were you?" Cam demands. Daniel doesn't respond, just pushes his covers down calmly and sits up on his knees. Cam watches, heart in his throat, as Daniel removes his t-shirt and crawls slowly across the floor.

"What are you doing?" he asks. His throat is so dry he can barely speak.

Daniel unzips Cam's sleeping bag and peels the flap away. Cam is caught between wanting to scramble up and bolt for the door and the desire to lay back and drag Daniel with him.

Daniel makes the decision for him when he swings his leg over Cam's thighs and settles on his lap.

There's a knock on the door.

"No thank you," Daniel calls out, eyes never leaving Cam's. He can hear the tray rattle and they're left alone.

Daniel leans close and breathes once, twice, and touches his mouth to Cam's. He waits there, lips barely brushing, breath hot on Cam's mouth and chin, before Cam surges forward and pulls him closer.

The only thing Cam can think is _oh, it's about damn time_. Then his brain checks out. They don't really have time for this, and in the distant reaches of his mind Cam knows it, but it's so hard to focus when the smell of Daniel fills his nostrils, the spice of the air warmed by his skin. Daniel rubs his thumb in the crook of Cam's arm and licks at his lips gently.

_Ananta._

"Wait," Cam says, putting a hand on Daniel's chest to push him away, "wait, we-"

Daniel rushes forward and presses Cam down into his sleeping bag, his hands cradling his shoulders as though Cam would shatter if pressed any harder. Cam smiles into the kiss, grabs Daniel by the back of the neck and pulls him in. Daniel falls against him awkwardly, and Cam puts a hand on his rib cage to steady him. He feels Daniel's muscles contract under his fingers and there's a moment of confusion where he can't remember how they got here, and Daniel's never done this before, and... _damn it_. He shoves Daniel away, as hard as he can, but Daniel's not as weak as he makes out to be. He grabs Cam's shoulder and tries to pull him forward again, not even pretending to make it a kiss this time, and Cam kicks himself for letting Daniel play him.

"We have to let her go," Daniel says, all pretense gone.

"That is the stupidest damn thing I've ever heard you say," Cam spits, glaring up at Daniel.

"We can't interfere," Daniel explains, leaning forward into Cam's space. "That's what caused the loop in the first place."

"I couldn't just watch her kill herself!"

"I know," Daniel says, letting up a little, "but now you have to."

Cam tries to shove him aside again and they wrestle fiercely for a minute.

"Cam, listen to me." Daniel's voice is desperate. He's breathing hard, holding Cam down with all his weight. "It has to be her choice."

Cam shoves him off and grabs his pants.

"Wait-" Daniel calls after him, but Cam's already out the door, tugging his shirt on over his head.

"Cam!" Daniel shouts.

He reaches the cliff face in time to see the fluttering blue of her sari, bright and shining in the sunlight, as Ananta flings herself over the side. Cam skids to a stop at the edge and hears her body thud into the mountainside below him. The scattering rocks echo and send birds flying.

"Oh god," Cam says, doubling over. He swears and crouches, tucking his hand up against his mouth.

He hears footsteps, and almost wishes it's Dinesh.

"Let's go home," Daniel says.

Cam stands and faces Daniel. The morning light is soft on Daniel's mussy hair and he's standing ready, like he's waiting for something. Cam wants to shake Daniel. To crush Daniel's face in his hands and kiss him until neither of them can breathe.

He wants to sleep.

He turns and starts down the road to the gate.

***

"Welcome back, Colonel, Doctor." Walter's voice rings in the gate room and Cam looks around, feeling the familiarity, the sense of _home_.

He sighs and heads down the ramp, worn down and empty inside, Daniel's presence looming behind him.

"What does the monkey know of the taste of ginger?" Daniel asks, and Cam can feel the warm weight of Daniel's hand, comforting, on the back of his neck.


End file.
